A Letter to Nest Families

Dear Nest Families (aka Chickadees and Mockingbirds!),

To our new families— welcome! To our returning families—welcome back! I hope the summer was relaxing, restorative and filled with joyful adventures.

Many of you have met Bob and Michelle along your journey to learning more about The Nest, and I wanted to use this opportunity to introduce myself before the year begins. In addition to being one of the many Wheeler champions of early childhood and nature-based learning, I serve as the Director of Lower School, which consists of The Nest in Seekonk, Massachusetts and Kindergarten through Grade 5 at our Providence, Rhode Island campus.

I’m thrilled that you will soon experience all that the Farm has to offer, particularly the way we merge nature with the academic and social-emotional skill building that is crucial at this young age. The Farm has long been a treasured part of the Wheeler community, and as early childhood families, we know you will come to love and appreciate it as we have.

In my letter to the Kindergarten through Fifth-Grade families, I shared a snapshot of my summer, my personal moments of reconnecting, and a desire to return to our routines of comfort and familiarity. Although the routines of the Farm are different from those of the city campus, the nurturing environment is the same. As with our desire to share the specialness of the Farm, we hope you will quickly experience the warmth and care of our school-wide community.

This is the first of many communications you will receive from us this year. Your child’s teacher will send regular newsletters to share what is being learned in the classroom, I will share division-specific newsletters each month about the Nursery through Fifth-Grade experience and other members of the community, i.e. Wheeler School Parent Association (WSPA) and the Lower School Parent Association (LSPA), will also engage with you regularly. We hope you will find these communications helpful, informative and an invitation to become involved in the Wheeler community in a variety of ways.

Lastly, In preparation for the year ahead, you will soon receive a welcome email from your child’s teacher, as well as more information about August home visits and orientations. Additionally, we will share more specifics related to our COVID protocols and procedures, so we can all start the year safely. Until then, we wish you a slow end to summer and an easy transition into the school year.

Warmly,

Felicia